Signed Author: Kurt Newton

This is my second full-length collection of (mostly) rhyming poetry. My first, Life Among the Dream Merchants, was published seventeen years ago and was a tribute to both H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. You might think you’ll have to wait another seventeen years for another collection, but that urge to rhyme has always been with me and, I suspect, always will.

In my teens I fancied myself a budding singer/songwriter and wrote over a hundred songs (both words and music) before realizing I was a better writer than a singer and gave up my aspirations of joining a band. The urge to rhyme simply transferred to poetry and I’ve been answering the call ever since.

Unfortunately, the art of the rhyme—something that was once revered in classic literature—has fallen out of favor, and the publishing opportunities are few and far between. Except in the horror genre. Like some undead beast, horror has kept the rhyme alive. Perhaps dark imagery lends itself naturally to meter and rhyme. Horror is, after all, rooted in the emotions both viscerally and psychologically. It can be a seething, heaving ocean of romanticism or a climbing, diving rollercoaster thrill ride. There’s a certain beat to dark poetry that, perhaps, matches the rhythm of the heart.

Novels, short stories, flash fiction, poetry—all have their challenges, but the most rewarding challenge I find, as a writer, is to be able to complete a poetic piece that also rhymes. It’s not a trick but a skill. The trick is to make it sound natural, and therein lies the skill. A well-rhymed poem possesses a certain charm. It’s no wonder that witches and magician’s used metered rhyme to lend power to their incantations. It’s as old, as they say, as the hills.

So, don’t let anyone tell you that rhyming is for kindergarteners. In every kindergartener is a budding wordsmith. Some will grow up to be rockstars. And some will be satisfied just being a poet.

Kurt Newton